Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Danielle Banas's "The Supervillain and Me"

Danielle Banas, a Pittsburgh native, earned a degree in communication from Robert Morris University. After years spent dreaming up characters instead of paying attention in class, Banas joined the storytelling platform Wattpad, where her work has received millions of views online. When she isn’t writing, she can be found loudly singing show tunes, spouting off Walt Disney World trivia, and snuggling with her puppy.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of ​The Supervillain and Me, her debut novel:
When I write I always imagine the scene playing out as if it were part of a movie, however, I don’t picture specific actors as my characters until either very late in the first draft or until the first draft has been completed. I flip-flopped between many actors while I was writing and editing The Supervillain and Me, but finally I settled on Lili Reinhart for my main character, Abby. I love watching her play Betty Cooper on Riverdale, and she definitely has the right look for Abby. The version of Betty that she plays is a total badass, and Abby has many badass qualities as well, so I think she would knock it out of the park.

To play the accused supervillain Iron Phantom, I hands down choose Casey Cott, also of Riverdale fame. He can do the right combination of serious, flirty, and utterly adorable that is needed for the character. The first time I saw his photo I couldn’t believe how similar he looked to the boy that I had pictured in my head for so many years. The resemblance is actually really scary. I’m not totally convinced that he wasn’t born straight from my imagination or something.

And this last one isn’t Riverdale related, but Michael Keaton. He can be any character he wants, he can direct, he can produce, I don’t really care. Just Michael Keaton. I’ve been following his career since I was a little kid. He and I are from the same town, my dad grew up in the house that Michael Keaton’s parents once owned, and a couple of my family members know his family members, but no one I know has actually met him. I’m just looking for an excuse to say hello. Also, he’s been in so many superhero films that he might as well add one more.
Visit Danielle Banas's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Danielle Banas & Cooper.

--Marshal Zeringue